2009 P h i l i p sbu rg T er r i tory
19. 116-118 East Broadway
The 1889 Sanborn Fire Maps show this building as a saloon, gambling and lodging establishment. The Crystal Saloon run by Easterly, followed by Pass Time pool hall owned by Ted Harrington and then owners Owens, Strong, and Kahoe were all part of its colorful past. If only walls could talk! Martha Speacht ran the G&M Cafe from the early 60’s to the early 70’s. Everyone knew the café had the best pies in town. Will Abbot owns the building that in recent years served as a hardware and plumbing supply, video rental shop, hardware store and gunsmith’s shop under successive proprietors.
hilipsburg
Montana
A Town for all Seasons
23. Porter House
Built in approximately 1890, the Porter House housed a variety of businesses through the years. One of its earliest uses was as a bakery. During World War I, it served as one of many boarding houses in Philipsburg to provide beds for grateful manganese mill workers. It was known then as “The Mad House” because of the frequent and rapid turnover of roomers and boarders. Each shift from the mines provided a new and different tenant. Most recently, it has been used for the Grey Wolf Gallery.
20. White Front Bar
County abstracts date this building as a saloon in 1887 while the Sanborn Fire Maps show it to be in continuous use as a saloon and billiards parlor through 1909. Its only change in service was during Prohibition when it was a general store, The Busy Bee. Rumor has it the Busy Bee continued to quench Philipsburg’s thirst from the basement storehouse. That is 122 years of quenching the thirst in Philipsburg. The National cash register purchased in 1928 by owner Pete Andre, remains in the saloon with present owners, Bill and Diane Mackley.
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24. Courtney Hotel
21. George A. Jenkins Garage Around 1941, Marvin Dobbins purchased the garage from owner George Jenkins and renamed it Dobbins Chevrolet for his auto dealership. He owned and operated the business offering automobile repairs and sold gasoline, as well as new vehicles. In 1964, the building became the Town Hall and home of the Philipsburg Public Library. In 2003, the complete refurbishing of the facade with funds raised by Helen Darling and Writers in the Round concerts gave the building a face lift. Community donations and plaque sales continue to support the new Philipsburg Town Hall renovation.
22. McDonald Opera House
Built as the Courtney Hotel by the Courtney brothers in 1918, the Granite County Museum and Cultural Center currently occupies the building. The building housed a garage and service station in the basement and the Overland Automobile dealership and showroom on the first floor. Autos drove into the showroom through the double doors in the center and the guests entered the hotel through a door to the right. The Courtney brothers spared no expense in constructing the hotel and claimed that the building needed no fire insurance because of its remarkable construction of brick, stone and poured concrete. Of all the riches taken out of Philipsburg, the Courtney Brothers are perhaps the only ones to return to the community any significant permanent investment. The building is closely associated with the manganese mining boom period since being been built with profits from the Courtney brothers’ Kentucky mine east of town.
25. Cartier Building
George Cartier built the building in the early 1900s and it now houses The Club Bar. It became the First State Bank, 1915-1930. Lawrence Hauck was the president (see Hauck Home). W.E. Metcalf purchased the building in 1931. James Keating operated a café, The Banquet, in a portion of the structure in the 1930’s. It later became a bar operated by Jake Polich and Art Taylor called The Club. A barbershop occupied the west side for many years and later became a women’s lounge area for the bar but now is office and storage. C.A. and C.F. Metcalf purchased the property from W.E. Metcalf, still In 1876, Northern Pacific Railroad received the first deed to the property where the theater now stands. In July 1896, Angus A. McDonald and his wife acquired the land and built the two-story McDonald Opera House. It was built with a granite foundation, full sod basement, dressing rooms beneath the south end and plumbing. The high loft above the east end was for scenery backdrops. A large auditorium with balcony, special boxes faced with wrought iron, and a spacious stage attracted large audiences. Many famous troupes performed on the stage, as well as many not so famous, including minstrel shows, dog and pony acts, traveling players, magicians (the center stage trap door is still there), local talent, dance revues, class plays and school graduations. Frank W. Horrigan became owner of the property in 1932 and renamed it the Granada. The ornate boxes had to be taken down for acoustics’ sake when sound arrived and velour draperies and air spaces were installed. New sound and projection machines were installed in the booth. A variety of businesses have occupied parts of the building through the years—a soda pop bottling firm, the Philipsburg Commercial Club, a bank, Carmichael’s Livery Stable and others. The current owners, Tim and Claudette Dringle, produce live professional theatre during the summer, plus special events in the off-season. It is now called the Opera House Theatre. Off Broadway Lodging offers gracious accommodations during the off-season.
running it as a bar. Since then five different owners have operated it. The present owner-proprietors are John & Debbi Carlson. The old bank vault in the basement constructed of quarried granite now serves quite appropriately as The Vault Room.
26. Lee’s Chinese Grocery
This late 1800’s building served Philipsburg during its mining heyday as Lee’s Chinese Restaurant and next by the Red & White Grocery, Fred Karkanen—proprietor. Lawrence and Lucille Wanderer purchased the store in April 1936 from a widow (Mrs. Easterly) and changed the name to The Town Grocery. Wanderer later bought the butcher shop next door and the City Cafe (formerly Lee’s Chinese Restaurant). In 1984, Lucille Wanderer sold the property. After several interim businesses, Todd King purchased and renovated the building. May of 2004 saw the opening of the Daily Grind, a specialty beverage shop and Gilding the Lily offering gifts, clothing, and books.